Big Mountain Supporter Network

Bright blessings, Beautiful Beings, Bienvenido!

Moon Phase: Waxing Crescent Moon
Sun Phase: After Winter Solstice
Music: Red Eagle
Prayer: May you stretch your body and receive relief.
Affirmation: Engaging in genuine solidarity is self and community care

We spread and advocate the message of intersection; that frontline resisters (environmental justice) return to their homes within 50 miles of the mine sites (social justice). Supporting the resisters at their homes allows all of us to be better equipped for frontline confrontations mentally, physically and emotionally. As well as establish the relationships and skills necessary for long-term resistance of extreme energy extraction, displacement of Original Peoples, and cultural suppression.

Supporting on Big Mountain was once an annual routine in my life, I had stopped for 5 Sun cycles, year 9 to 13. Due to my own desire to reevaluate my solidarity work in response to COVID-19 lock downs. I desired more genderqueer friendly Indigenous families, a focus on food security and more People Of Culture offering mutual aide.

Our Big Mountain Nature Network is a social group where People Of Culture support Indigenous Hopi and Dineh families sustaining generational food security. Using cultural wisdom and dry land farming techniques to steward the land. A space where we share in plant care and farm maintenance. An encouraging and uplifting part of the Indigenous Solidarity Network. 

We are entering our 16th year of Indigenous Solidarity. We have expanded our reach to support the Hopi Nation who live around Big Mountain. Last year was the first Solidarity Trip we curated through our own connections. We are now focusing our efforts on traditional dryland farming and food sovereignty. We had a wonderful trip Spring 2023 to aide in and tour 3 family dryland plots! Two more families signed up for support! Some families dropped out due to a lack of capacity to garden this season. Showing us how valuable our sustainability work is.

Our Annual Fundraiser and Donation Drive is May 4th, Solidarity Trip is June 2-8.

How We Got Here

As we conclude our 9 years of Solidarity work with the Indigenous Diné Supporters Network, we roll out a new zine and lots of gratitude to the Elders that allowed me into their homes and cultures.

the Dine’ Supporters Network is an Indigenous led movement of cultural preservation.

As a part of the Diné Supporters Network, we created a Publishing Apothecary with a desire to do more for marginalized communities. Back then we mostly did free herbal clinics during Supporter Camps. For nine years we offered 33% of our programming to the Indigenous Diné Nation.

As a farewell gift we curated a second Diné zine, Sacred Land: Diné Supporters Network. This zine is a how to for folks interested in becoming regular supporters at Big Mountain on the Diné Reservation. Information about intentions, expectations, past supporters, current groups to aide with. I also wrote an article, finding my place, about my experience as a supporter in hopes it will help others find balance within the network.

Diné: Our Survival Is Bound To Theirs, our first zine, is more the backstory of the people, on-going concerns and support requesting.

Our Seed Sovereignty Program – returning 10 varieties of Ancestral Seeds to 17 families with a reach of 88 individuals.

We THANK every soul that has taking this journey of solidarity with us. Because of you we supported 40-50 Diné families annually with herbal medicine and traditional Seeds.

This transition is long awaited in my life. My Taino partner and I will be relocating to Borikén (Puerto Rico) this Winter to regain closeness with our Ancestral lands.

Some of our programs over the first 12 years:

*Rocky Road General Store Apothecary

Our newest program, co-sustains a wellness space at the local reservation “convenience store”. The direct ask is for specific loose leaf herbs for the Dine’ community. This is born from our previous program Free Herbal Clinic and offers residents the opportunity to make their own medicine gaining autonomy from colonial systems.

*Sovereignty Care Packs

Once a Sun cycle we send out 30-50 packages which include herbal remedies mainly topical solutions, tinctures, hygiene, traditional Seeds, and literature on self-care, how to use remedies, and wild wisdom.

*Supporter Camps

A group of 15-30 people from different areas provide direct-on-land support for 4 Indigenous Elders. Some examples of the work that has been done in the past is rematriation of Ancestral Seeds, an herbal clinic, Seed initiatives, distributing literature, hauling water, cutting and chopping wood, repairing and winterizing homes, and other activities that help them sustain their lifeways.

We sponsor the Community Meal and Annual Meeting. A gathering that centers Diné Elders, with their Allies in support roles, so they can focus on networking. Elders, and other Diné people give short presentations, report backs, and offer resources to their community, and Allies, over a traditional Diné meal.

We organize a Community Seed Swap that offers native varieties of Squash, Bean, Melon, Corn, wild herbs and traditional spices. We visit Diné large scale farms to learn and network while gathering Seeds to restock the Little Colorado River Watershed Chapter Association Seed Library that is youth run and aides about 200 non-resistor families annually.

We coordinate traditional Knowledge Shares on building  root cellars, earthen dams, gardening, traditional nutrition, preparing foods and Seed saving. We also make educational materials based on the wisdom shared to distribute later.

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Take part in soft solution

Donate to our Indigenous Solidarity Program. Your donations allow us to travel to the reservation offering resources and labour. Dineh and Hopi families in our Big Mountain Garden Network use Ancestral traditions such as dry land farming. To donate supplies Contact us for Indigenous Elder’s Request List, stay tuned for annual donation drive. Donate money via paypal, OR VENMO or join our Seed Pack Giving Circle. Sponsor Elder’s directly with your Zelle account. 

Together We Can